Subcribe Here!

Taiwan train derails, killing 18 and injuring 160

In this photo released by Li Jun, rescue workers are seen at the site of a train derailment in Lian in northern Taiwan on Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018. The Puyuma express train was carrying more than 300 passengers toward Taitung, a city on Taiwanâs southeast coast, when it went off the tracks on Sunday afternoon. (Li Jun via AP) (Associated Press) October 21 at 9:16 AM

TAIPEI, Taiwan â" Eighteen people were killed and at least 160 others injured on Sunday when one of Taiwanâs newer, faster trains derailed on a curve along a popular weekend route, officials said.

The Puyuma express train was carrying more than 366 passengers from a suburb of Taipei toward Taitung, a city on Taiwanâs southeast coast, when it went off the tracks at 4:50 p.m., the Taiwan central government said in a statement.

The National Fire Agency cited the Cabinet spokesmanâs office as saying 18 people were killed and 160 injured.

Some passengers were crushed to death, Ministry of National Defense spokesman Chen Chung-chi said. âTheir train car turned over. They were crushed, so they died right away,â Chen said.

Soldiers have been removing bodies to identify them, he added, but nightfall was complicating rescue work.

Photos from the scene just south of the city of Luodong showed the trainâs eight cars in a zig-zag formation near the tracks. Five of the cars are turned over on their sides.

Most of the deaths were in the first car, which flipped over, a government spokesman said.

It was unclear how many people may still be trapped in the train, said the spokesman, who spoke on customary condition of anonymity. Some 120 soldiers joined firefighters in their rescue work.

< p>On a live feed provided by Taiwanâs United Daily News, rescuers were seen carefully carrying what appeared to be a body wrapped in white plastic away from the site.

Local television reports said passengers were trying to escape through train windows and that bystanders had gathered to help them before rescuers arrived.

The Puyuma was launched in 2013 to handle the very difficult topography of Taiwanâs east coast and is distinct from the high-speed rail that runs on the west coast. The trains travel up to 150 kilometers (93 miles) per hour, faster than any other in Taiwan except for high-speed rail.

The train that derailed is 6 years old and its most recent inspection and major maintenance took place in 2017, Taiwan Railways Administration Director Lu Chie-shen said at a televised news conference.